


Sweet Like Sugar Venom

by venusiaries



Category: Captive Prince - C. S. Pacat
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - University, Auguste Lives, M/M, au where damen actually rlly tries not to draw people’s attention and avoids sex as much as possible, cambion! damen, demon hunter! laurent, keeping the star-crossed lovers aesthetic bec that’s my jam, nicaise is laurent’s familiar, tw for csa mention/implications
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-20
Updated: 2017-09-16
Packaged: 2018-12-17 08:20:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11847645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/venusiaries/pseuds/venusiaries
Summary: Laurent’s ademon hunter, for fuck’s sake. He’s been in the business since he was just his father’s horny intentions on a valentines anniversary. He was literallybornfor this job.He’s not supposed to feel things for demons, no matter how perfectly muscular they were, or how deep and sultry their kind voice was, or how cute their dimple looked. That would beunprofessional, thank you very much.





	1. First Impressions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some things aren't really what they seem, apparently.
> 
> And when they seem easy, well, that just means you have to gear the fuck up.

_Damianos Akielos_ , the paper says in fine print.

A college student, business major with a promising future and a scary big inheritance. 23 years old and glaringly single. Dark skin, Greek features, 6"3'.

**_Half-Demon._ **

 

Normally, Vere would overlook cases such as Damianos', seeing as they did have respect for halflings who did their best to fit in with society and ultimately avoid disturbing the precariously standing balance between worlds. The most they would do would be checking up on them now and again, making absolutely sure they wouldn't  _dream_ of causing trouble, and sending them off with a lollipop, or something.

 

But obviously, since they're handing Laurent the papers,  _Laurent, of all hunters,_ Damianos seems to be a special case.

 

first reason of all being that demons who had influence in the human world were a great risk, and Damianos, as stated in his profile, is the heir to a large influential corporation.

second of all, the guy's a Cambion, meaning he's half incubus, and god knows how troublesome those lot are,  _especially_ if they're power or wealth-hungry.

 

Whatever else the case, Vere deems him enough of a threat that they're deploying Laurent, their golden prince, to investigate the abomination personally, which isn't even the worst part of it.

 

The worst part is that Laurent is gonna have to do this grunt work undercover.

Meaning: Laurent will have to go through College.  ** _Again._**

 

“Well you’re fucked,” Nicaise says as he floats above Laurent’s shoulder, also looking at the halfling’s profile. “He looks exactly like your type,” he finishes with a smirk.

“You’re forgetting something essential, hired help,” Laurent retorts blankly, and Nicaise smiles wider.

He perches onto Laurent’s shoulder with utmost delicacy, subtly mocking Laurent’s mild discomfort in the matter.  “And what is it I’m forgetting, my Master?”

 ** _  
_** Laurent, expression unfazed, speaks with dark conviction. “I don’t fuck demons.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

The plan is to get close enough to Damianos Akielos to ascertain what kind of halfling he is, whether he should or shouldn't be considered a threat, and leave this godforsaken place. Or if the situation calls for it, eliminate the target. It's easy enough that Laurent is still trying to wrap his head around why exactly his Uncle had sent him on such a mission.

The answer could be only one of two things: Damianos is powerful enough that he could most possibly become a real threat, or his Uncle has ulterior motives to assigning him away from HQ for a relatively long time.

"Or maybe that perverted old geezer just decided you were overestimating your worth and wanted you to take on the little guys again," Nicaise snorts, but Laurent knows that's bullshit, and tells him as much.

"He wouldn't do something for my benefit," Laurent huffs, "He doesn't care for me."

"Good point."

Anyways, undercover mission or not, application papers are always one of the most painful part of getting ready for school, and its not helping the fact that Laurent doesn't even  _want_ to do this in the first place, but that's not something he'll want to whine about out loud, lest he lose the hard-earned respect he's wrenched out of his father's men.

As he parallel parks at a random sidewalk in-campus, he sighs with his whole body, like he's trying to physically release his soul out through his mouth by sheer force of will. Nicaise keeps himself in Laurent's locket, saying he doesn't even need to be out to feel him suffering, to which Laurent silently agrees, both because college applications don't really need the assistance of a powerful familiar, and keeping Nicaise in his holder's charm will at least restrict him a little from his usual unfiltered commentary.

The area is relatively quiet, which is only a tad bit strange considering it's enlistment season, but Laurent can't really bring himself to care much. If it's trouble, he's more than capable of handling it anyways.

He keeps his documents under his arm and assumes a more prim and intimidatingly confident façade, willing his nerves away silently. Nicaise snickers, but says nothing.

 _"Confidence is key in college",_ Auguste told him the night before, when he'd called his older brother to confide in him his fate. He laughed at Laurent good-naturedly, and Laurent thought for a moment that it would have been assuring if both of them had gone with this mission together.

But Laurent couldn't ask that of him, and he wouldn't dream of it. Auguste deserves to live out the rest of his life without his family's burden, and if Laurent has to take the brunt of his absence, he would gladly do so.

 

Auguste can't go through what he did ever again. He would make sure of it.

His resolve strengthened, Laurent holds his breath, and approaches the long line of enlisting students.

 

 

Once he arrives at the waiting area, the room is considerably more muted, which actually sparks up concern at the back of Laurent’s mind. _It’s real odd_ , he thinks, and he isn’t sure if it’s just his nerves or if his gut feeling really is in the right place and this really is a supernatural occurrence.

 

His answer comes to him in the form of a freshman orientation officer, towering over Laurent with a smile so blinding he could have been half the goddamn sun.

 

“Hey! Are you a freshie?” the tall, handsome stranger says with such a gentle and yet enthusiastic voice that Laurent is left a little dazed. He lays a hand on Laurent’s shoulder, hovering slightly like he’s not sure if he might spook Laurent.

 

He hears Nicaise at the back of his mind, but it barely registers when Laurent’s attention is caught on the small dimple at the side of the stranger’s smile.

 

His gaze wanders to the arm connected to the hand on his shoulder, and _god_ those biceps are impossible, does this guy work out? Is he a gym junkie or something?

 

Could he lift Laurent with just that arm alone???

 

_JESUS._

 

“ _Fucked~,”_ Nicaise sing-songs again, and this time, Laurent hears it.

 

“Hey are you okay?” the stranger’s smile falters a little now, concern lining the enthusiasm in his voice, and that completely snaps Laurent out of his growingly indecent reverie. Distantly, he hears Nicaise sniggering, and Laurent clears his throat, reassuming his icy exterior.

 

“I’m fine. Please let go of me.”

 

The stranger startles a little at that, but lifts his hand from Laurent’s shoulder, raising it along with his other hand in a gesture of surrender. “Hey, yeah, I’m sorry. I’m… just supposed to welcome you, I guess?”

 

“You guess.”

 

“Y-yeah, haha,” the stranger scratches the back of his head, looking mildly confused, and somehow he looks more appealing than when he was blinding Laurent with his polished teeth. “I’m… uh, they said they thought I’d be good at this, and I guess I thought that… too?”

 

He flashes another shy grin, and Laurent nearly falls onto his knees and begs forgiveness for making him stumble like that, but then it hits him.

 

Laurent is never one to apologize.

 

It then comes to him, the grainy photo the organization had pinned to the profile they handed to Laurent days ago. Cambion, it said.

 

 _Be wary of their charm_ , Auguste had said once, during their home tutoring sessions.

 

 _Damen_ , the sticker tagged onto the stranger’s chest says, scribbled on hastily in blue permanent ink.

 

It clicks.

 

“Ah,” Laurent says in his moment of revelation, and Damen, _Damianos_ , cocks his head slightly askew in question. _I’m fucked._

 

“Well,” Laurent clears his throat, face carefully blank. “I suppose that’s what you would’ve thought.”

 

He steps back with a flourish, and leaves Damen aptly baffled, staying where he stands, and Laurent is a little proud he was able to resist such a strong Aura, especially coming from a halfling.

 

“ _You didn’t, though,”_ Nicaise whispers cockily.

  
_Shut up,_ Laurent thinks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone out there said "incubus! damen" and my mind just went somewhere else completely. I can't say i'm disappointed though because I ended up drafting this whole big shitshow and I've been thinking about it for weeks.
> 
> I'm planning this to be about 30k words maybe, i just had to pull out this first chapter because i was so pumped to get this out in the open already, but the update is coming soon, i promise!
> 
> title comes from Lana Del Rey's "Radio" but there's no connection, i just thought it sounded real nice.
> 
> thank you for reading!!


	2. Rookie Mistake pt. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It pays to double check. It seriously does.

After the freshman orientation ends, Laurent’s next job for the day is to set up his would-be office; in other words, his crappy campus dorm.

The rest of the day passes by in a blur, and really, this is one of the reasons why Laurent absolutely _abhorred_ the idea of coming back to college. Everything is so goddamn _tiring_.

As if he didn’t already have things on his mind, like his job, like this godforsaken mission, being undercover means you’ll have to live your fake identity as realistically and as convincingly as possible.

 

And that, essentially, means he’ll still actually have to _work_ for his class participation.

 

It really doesn’t help the fact that his mission required him to take the exact same classes as Damianos had, to watch over his behavior. And it really _really_ doesn’t help that he’s no longer just a nobody in his target’s eyes, assuming that Laurent is so far the first person to ever be able to, at least outwardly, resist the full force of Damianos Akielos’ charm.

And from the way his target had fumbled and startled at Laurent’s cold reaction, Laurent is at least the only person to have reacted negatively to his measured warmth in a possibly long time.

 

Laurent drops his box of dorm stuff straight on the ground the moment he sets foot into the bedroom, and promptly crashes into the uncovered, musty mattress, groaning.

 

This blunder is so unnervingly amateur that Laurent wants to violently claw his face off and live the rest of his life as a recluse somewhere in the mountains. Its a big gash to his pride, and he still can’t believe he of all people made the mistake, all because he was arrogant enough to waltz into this damned mission without much of a second glance at his target’s fucking profile papers. _Fuck._

 

He can still remember that low voice, seemingly coming straight from the wet dreams of Laurent’s late adolescence; he remembers the welcoming smile, the gentle, carefully uninvasive touch, and his _goddamn size._ He can’t even tell if it’s his own desire or the Cambion’s charm that caused his loss of higher thinking. The fact that Damianos fitted exactly into Laurent’s type was _so_ not helping his case.

It would have tremendously helped if the papers warned in passing that Damianos had the most killer set of fucking dimples the world has ever had the grace to exist alongside. That was prime information. Laurent could’ve been spared the astronomical humiliation.

 

“Blame Jord from the information department,” Nicaise pipes up from beside Laurent, lying on his side with his head leaning on one of his arms. Laurent fixes him one of his death glares. Nicaise shrugs innocently.

“And I suppose you only come out of that damned locket when it suits you?”

Nicaise smiles, undeterred. “I wanted you to feel the full Cambion charm experience. You know, for future reference.”

“Future reference,” Laurent’s eyes narrow, and Nicaise giggles impishly.

“Aw, come on Laurent, you handled it well, didn’t you?”

“Well I could have been saved the embarrassment if you’d countered his charm through your abilities instead of letting me fight off my own dick!”

 

 

Silence.

 

 

The word “dick” seems to echo repeatedly throughout the whole room, both Laurent and Nicaise not saying a word after Laurent’s exclamation.

 

Shortly after, they both break the silence, laughing so hard they can’t breathe.

 

They both cackle so loudly Laurent is barely aware that he’s rarely ever laughed this hard, trying to focus instead on trying to breathe properly through his heaving. Nicaise not looking much better, which is strange because Nicaise doesn’t even have a corporeal body, and really, this is ridiculous, this whole day’s been ridiculous, and like this he can forget about the weight of his mistake today, choosing instead to highlight and vulgarize the most ridiculous parts to keep both of them laughing themselves out of existence.

 

As the laughter seems to die down, in between giggles, Nicaise chokes out, “you really should ask Jord to give more… physically accurate information,”

to which Laurent replies, trying to stifle his laughter, “oh yeah? like what? the size of his dick?”

 

and then commences another round of endless laughing, late into the night.

  


 

* * *

 

  


Classes don’t actually start until a week after, so when Laurent wakes up at noon like a true collegiate heathen, he fixes Nicaise with a small glare, to which Nicaise absolutely does not respond to, choosing instead to ignore Laurent and lounge on his office chair with his feet on the table, skimming again through Damianos’ profile while Laurent squints at him mid-coffee sip. For some reason, he actually genuinely looks like he’s thinking about something, so Laurent walks up to him to view the profile again by Nicaise’s shoulder.

 

“Good morning, dick hunter,” Nicaise says airily, and Laurent rolls his eyes.

“Alright, so what’s got you looking through the beast’s papers this early?”

“Well, I was supposed to tell you about an observation I’d made about mister sunshine here, but his girth was a much more entertaining topic to discuss last night, don’t you think?”

Laurent’s eyes narrow further, prompting Nicaise to get on with it. He sighs, putting down the manila folder, and faces Laurent properly. “Geez, Laurent. Get that stick out of your ass before you completely impale yourself with it. You were mopey last night! Is it a bad thing to get you smiling once in awhile?”

 

Laurent startles a bit at that, looking at Nicaise’s genuinely concerned expression, and surrenders, sighing. “Alright, I’m sorry. You know I’m not a morning person.”

 

“Yeah, well, at least you get to sleep, dick hunter.”

“Nicaise.”

“Alright, Alright. Okay so remember when you had your confrontation with the human light bulb, and even though I was with you, you were still getting hazy and half-erect?”

Laurent scoffs. “Not necessarily but go on.”

 

Nicaise swivels in the office chair to completely face Laurent, and crosses his arms.

 

“Well, if that were an ordinary Cambion demon halfling, my presence would have been enough to render his charm useless.”

 

“Okay, but we established that he may just be a Cambion with… superior genes.”

“Laurent. You’re underestimating my abilities.”

“Well, you look like a child,” Laurent jokes. Nicaise is not impressed.

“I was born like this, you virginal milk maid. That’s why your Uncle chose me.”

 

“Good god, we should have a rule about mentioning that man’s existence in this space,” Laurent sits down on his work desk, stroking the wooden surface. “This is our safe space, hired help. No ugly dirty old men here.”

Nicaise floats from the swiveling chair to Laurent’s side, lying on his back. “Agreed,” he says, nodding.

 

“Alright, back to topic. So he’s a strong halfling. Shouldn’t we just kill him, and then look for his demonic parent? I’m guessing they’re the real threat here?”

“Well, I was telling you that it wasn’t exactly the Cambion charm that affected you. Yes, he actually does have unnaturally strong demonic charm, but your bloodline and my power would be enough to cancel that out for the most part. I’m saying the charm was… amplified.”

“So you’re saying he practices magic,” Laurent says, his eyebrows scrunching together.

 

“You do the math.”

 

Laurent rises from the wooden table and starts to pace around the room. It’s times like these that Nicaise knows he should leave him alone, so he does just that, turning on the bulky old customary tv installed in the room. From there, Laurent gets immersed in his thoughts.

He rewinds through the whole interaction once more in his head, rolling around each detail. He remembers doubting his conclusion for a moment after walking away from Damianos, but thinking better of it. The whole ordeal was _strange_.

 

Firstly, because when Cambions use their charm, it’s for when they want something, and for the lesser ones, something specific. But usually, they have to infuse their charm into commands, concrete _words_ , or else nothing much would happen except that they’d be ogled by their possible victims.

 

_Which_ is _what happened_ , he argues with himself, offhandedly, but he knows that’s not the case.

 

Because when Damianos had started becoming embarrassed, Laurent had felt embarrassment throughout his whole body. He even contemplated on apologizing, _genuinely_ , which he’d only ever done for Auguste, or his parents back when he was a young boy.

 

_Maybe he’s powerful enough that he doesn’t need to infuse his charm into words_ , he thinks, but then again if he really could put out that much charm, everyone else in the room would have grovelled at his feet, even if Laurent wouldn’t.

 

Which brings him back to the prospect of Damianos being a Magic user.

 

A ridiculous notion, considering there was only one organization out there that consisted of magicians, and that was IOS, Vere’s sworn enemy. If Damianos were a member of IOS, it would be on his profile (because although Jord wouldn’t care for details like his length, withholding that kind of information would give Laurent enough incentive to verbally destroy him in front of all of Vere).

 

And if he were a rogue magician, coupling with the fact that he is a half-demon, word of his existence would have killed him years ago. His parents would have killed him themselves.

 

There’s also the possibility of him being an undercover agent for IOS, recruiting mindless people to join their revolt against the delicate balance of their known world with his Cambion abilities. They are a barbaric, mindless lot anyways.

 

Because honestly, what kind of well-meaning organization equals themselves to the likes of lowly evil demons?

 

Nicaise eventually realizes Laurent would be stumped about this situation, and sighs, floating back to him still pacing, his arm on his hip and his lip jutting out slightly. Laurent doesn’t even notice his return.

“Okay, Golden Boy, do you want a hint?”

Laurent stops pacing and looks him dead in the eye. “Enlighten me,” he says blandly.

 

“So this is just an assumption, but there’s something weirder about the magic that he may have used, along with his charm.”

“If you knew anything, why did you leave me to my own devices, _again?_ ”

Nicaise smirks a little, and straightens his back. “Because I need you to think you’d gotten to the conclusion yourself. Can’t have you feeling inferior to hired help, after all. But obviously, you’re still stuck on his rippling muscles.”

“Nicaise.”

“Okay! Well, you see, if he was using ordinary magic, I’d be able to _see_ it. But instead, I felt the sparks of it through your body.”

 

Laurent’s eyes widen at that.

 

“You mean… he’s… _that_.”

 

“He’s exactly what you think he is.”

 

“Good GOD,” Laurent exclaims, dropping onto the nearest surface, his head in his hands. an _Empath._ Of _course_ that’s what it was.

 

A Cambion Empath. Thank god this wasn’t an easy mission after all. His reputation may be saved yet.

So that explained why he felt embarrassed when Damianos had. He may have unconsciously emitted his emotions onto Laurent, amplified by his charm.

 

Jord is going to hear about this, definitely.

 

Nicaise laughs again, and Laurent whips his head around to see him floating over his shoulder.

Nicaise just looks at him, preferring to pervade his thoughts. He pulls out a particular blip from Laurent’s memory, the cause of his embarrassment the day prior, where his thoughts wandered to well-toned muscles and dimpled smiles.

 

Laurent nearly stumbles from the revelation, and he isn’t even standing up.

 

“So that… that means-”

 

“Looks like you’re in luck, lover boy~”

  


 

* * *

 

  


There’s a freshman party happening later that night, much to Laurent’s dismay.

 

If there’s one thing he could say with confidence that he’d learned from his years in college, it would be that you didn’t really have to go hard if you had the option to go home.

 

Freshmen don’t usually get the memo; they’re usually too excited to ruin themselves, anyway. It’s almost sad, really, but at the moment, as Laurent is forced to rummage through his clothes to find decent “party” wear, he finds the notion nothing but obnoxious and idiotic.

 

“Look at these. It’s like you’ve prepared to either go to work or go to bed. There’s literally no inbetween,” Nicaise scoffs at Laurent as he starts throwing clothes out of boxes. Laurent can’t even grace his familiar with an answer, growing increasingly frustrated as his efforts continue to be fruitless, tugging out countless pajamas and/or full-on blazers, turtlenecks and cat socks.

 

As Laurent ravages his 4th box, Nicaise peers into the post-attack ones, and finds a decent set of clothes for him, surprisingly.

 

“Hey fashion disaster, I’ve got something!” He calls out to Laurent, still massacring what’s left of his luggage. His head snaps to the sound of Nicaise’s voice, face still painted with the expression of murder, before he sees Nicaise float over with clothes in his hand.

 

He brings Laurent a pair of jean shorts and a navy blue sweater that says “Damn” in bold uppercase letters. They both belong to Auguste.

 

He’d rather not show the skin of his legs for public viewing, or much of any part of his skin for that matter, but there’s little he can do now. He sighs, slumping by a random box in complete and utter defeat.

 

_Oh well. Confidence is key, right?_

 

“That’s something your brother has in spades, so I wouldn’t exactly rely on that advice completely,” Nicaise says, reading his thoughts. He floats above his slumped figure, looking smug. Laurent only grunts in response.

 

Nicaise then rolls his eyes, pushing an unwilling Laurent off of his ass.

 

“C’mon you big baby,” he groans, “Let’s get you lunch before you turn into a twink.”

  


 

Lunch at the food park would be less crowded and more peaceful at 12 pm than the food court building would be at 2pm, so Laurent decides to eat his lunch at the park by 1:45 pm.

 

Objectively, Laurent’s lunch experience would be enjoyed better with the outside view and the comfortable silence provided by the lack of rowdy freshmen excited for the night to come.

 

Subjectively, Laurent would like to not talk to idiots while he eats his cheap orange crepes, thank you very much.

 

Nicaise is hidden once again inside his locket, choosing to converse with Laurent through his thoughts. Laurent thinks it’s really unnecessary, considering the only person who’d be able to hear or see him would be Laurent anyways, but he’s got a feeling it’s not for Nicaise’s benefit.

_Don’t get conceited_ , his boyish voice permeates through Laurent’s string of thought, and he smiles to himself.

_Who, me? I would never._

_You’re a shitty liar, you know that? You can’t lie to me in your head. I’m literally in your thoughts._

_Fascinating._

_Yeah you know what else is fascinating? That dream you had last night about that beast boy, where he pinned you down and you yelled-_

 

“-Hey! It’s you!”

 

Laurent feels his spirits lift up immediately, and then after realizing why that is, his stomach drops 6 feet under.

 

_FUCK_.

 

He turns his head slowly to where the voice called out, and he sees Damianos, _Damen, that’s what his nametag said_ , jogging up to him in all his breathtaking glory.

 

_IS HE WEARING RUNNING SHORTS_.

 

Laurent desperately shakes off his more depraved thoughts just as Damen reaches him, and fixes him with the most polite blank stare he can manage. No point making an enemy of him now; it would just make him harder to monitor anyway.

_Be courteous,_ Laurent remembers Auguste scolding him.

 

“Hey!” Damen greets again, slightly breathless from his run.

 

“Hello. Are you tired from running a few meters just to greet me?” _Nailed it._

 

Damen laughs, and the sound almost makes Laurent swoon. _That’s not the halfling’s fault, by the way,_ chimes in Nicaise.

 

As if Laurent didn’t already know that.

 

“Technically, I am, but I just had a run with my buddy Nik around campus before I ran into you, so that adds to that.”

 

Laurent raises an eyebrow at that. “And surely only about 5 laps around the whole campus will wear your behemoth of a body down.”

Damen smiles wider, as if in challenge. “10, actually, but I missed my morning workout so i figured it would be a self-punishment of sorts.”

“I see.”

“Oh hey, Nik just caught up! He’s the guy who’s leaning on that bus over there,” Damen points to the thai noodle food bus across from them, where a heaving giant of a man is leaning his whole right side onto the metal. He’s covered in sweat, and both his palms are resting on his squatted thighs. Damen calls for him, and he raises both his hands up to flip them off.

“Charmed,” Laurent says airily.

“Anyways, I just dropped by to say hi! If I stayed here too long to talk to you, Nik would have my head. He’s a good guy though.”

 

Laurent feels a surge of endearment rise in his chest for a moment, and he knows that’s not his own emotions.

 

“Oh, and before I go, If it’s alright with you, could I ask your name?” Damen cocks his head slightly to the side, innocently, and Laurent can feel the heady anticipation and excitement Damen must be feeling at the moment.

 

He didn’t even phrase that question as a command, and hypothetically speaking, were this not Laurent, he could’ve simply demanded someone’s name and it’d be given to him without a second thought.

 

_Strange,_ he thinks again.

 

“It’s Laurent,” he says, holding out his hand. Damen looks at it in slight confusion before realizing what Laurent must have meant by the gesture, and he laughs as he shakes the outstretched hand with his own.

“Mine’s-”

“-HEY JACKASS! GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR DICK AND INTO THE TECH BOOTH! WE GOTTA START GETTING READY AFTER THIS!”

 

Damen sighs before reluctantly letting go of Laurent’s hand. He’s not completely sure if the hesitation to let go was Damen’s, or his own.

Damen steps back, slowly jogging up his way to his friend, before calling out to Laurent at the last moment.

“I’m really sorry, Laurent, I promise I’ll look for you later at the party!”

“Goodbye, Damen!” Laurent calls out in response, and Damen stills mid-jog. Only then does Laurent realize his mistake.

 

_shit-_

 

Damen smiles wider and waves to Laurent emphatically, hopelessly endearing even as he’s smacked upside the head by his jogging companion in the distance.

 

Laurent sighs, leaning on his arms as all the energy in his body completely whooshes out of him. “That was the most overwhelming few minutes I’d had in my life.”

  
Nicaise doesn’t even argue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im sorry if that was a bit of information overload with Nicaise and Laurent's morning conversation, and also the by-the-end interaction between Laurent and Damen again, but this was supposed to only be half the chapter honestly (hence, part 1)
> 
> i have absolutely zero patience, so i had to post this immediately after my fuel ran out and i stopped typing. Hope it was still up to snuff!!
> 
> thank you for reading and for the comments!! i love u guys


	3. Rookie Mistake pt. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> you always have to be careful at college parties.

The party, as most of the freshmen had said, was the best they’d ever had the pleasure to experience.

 

To Laurent, however, it was the absolute _worst._

 

And he’s only ever even been to _this_ party, considering his first college experience didn’t consist of friends, let alone drunken congregations of young wretched people.

Laurent wouldn’t have gone at all if he could help it, but he tells himself it’s for his mission; he needs to go all out in observing his damned target, and what better way to see him in action than at a college party, where reservations and personal space get thrown out the window?

  


Nicaise says it’s because he’s smitten.

  


Laurent says he should shut up.

  


They arrive at the party’s location at around 11, fashionably late, Laurent might have told whoever asked, parking in front of the campus’ open theater. It was known to be an abandoned building for the most part, having been replaced by a newer, closed theater closer to the more academic facilities.

The open theater would have been a glorious place for theatrical and musical performances, considering its architecture was made to simulate wonderful acoustics and endlessly spacious floors. Now, however, it's walls echo with the week’s international top 10 pop music selection, young bodies writhing against each other in drunken ecstasy while the old stage lights flash purple, blue, and red.

“Good god,” Laurent says under his breath, dodging a guy with horrible breath leering over him, just as euphorically numb as the rest of the lot. “It’s a modern day Bacchanalia.”

Nicaise, deeming it safe enough to leave his locket due to the fact that the kids who’d be able to see him would think he was simply a hallucination, assesses the crowd, and nods solemnly. “If this were the 18th century, lesser demons would be here joining in on all the madness, or kidnapping a human or two.”

Laurent takes a red plastic cup from another terribly drunk partygoer and spills its contents on the floor, dabbing a bit of alcohol on his lips. _Eugh._ “Well it’s too bad this isn’t the 18th century, or else this party would have actually been exciting.”

“Agreed.”

 

It’s been weeks since Laurent’s had to exorcise demons into dust, after all.

 

And now he’s here squeezing his way amongst the masses of young inebriated bodies, getting the scent of alcohol and debauchery on his clothes and in his hair so he doesn’t look (or smell) like he’s just arrived. Just so he doesn’t offend Damen, of course.

 

He wants his old job back, dammit.

 

“Hey! Glad you could make it!” An unfamiliar voice calls out from behind him, and Laurent cautiously turns to the sound.

He comes face to face… _well, face to chest if he was being honest_ , with a dark-skinned man wearing the university’s soccer varsity jacket, and the tightest, most uncomfortable smile he’s seen all day. If it weren’t for that detail, under the low light, he could’ve mistook the man as Damen for his height alone.

But Laurent likes to think he has pretty high standards for people he’s physically attracted to, demon charm be damned, and for him to even be remotely attracted to someone with similar features simply _because_ of their specific features would be so boorish of him.

  


Besides, Damen’s at least 10 times more handsome. Objectively speaking, anyways.

  


Laurent tries to recall meeting someone besides their target in the past few days to warrant at least a slightly reluctantly warm welcome, and it clicks.

It’s the giant man with Damen who flipped him off earlier today. The sweaty guy who flipped him off. Laurent raises an inquisitive eyebrow at him.

Nicaise retreats back into the locket, sensing him to be more sober than the rest of the kids surrounding them. It didn’t look like the man noticed his existence, but he slithered out of view anyways, leaving Laurent, at least physically, by himself.

The giant man had the decency to look sheepish. “Okay, maybe that’s being too chummy. I should probably apologize for raising inappropriate fingers at you, considering I don’t even know your name.”

“I should be surprised the thought of being civil came to you at all, actually.”

“God, okay,” the giant man sighs, raising his hand to his face to pinch at the bridge of his nose. His tight smile wears off a bit, but Laurent can tell he’s trying to keep cool. “Look, I’m sorry. I don’t know if that matters to you, and neither do I care. But you’re here, aren’t you? And I’m guessing you just came?”

Laurent looks at him from head to toe. He looks exhausted, though only partially in the party sense. He looks like he’s been running throughout the whole shebang. Maybe he has. Laurent should ease it down on the snark.

 

“I wouldn’t be if I could help it,” he says instead, as prickly as he could manage. The giant man groans, and the smile is gone. “What gave it away?”

 

He gestures to Laurent’s.. well, all of him, and raises an eyebrow of his own. “You look fresher than this lot, and I’m guessing you’re the type of person who hates parties.”

“Well, you wouldn’t be wrong.”

“And you wouldn’t be the only one,” the giant man says under his breath. He fixes a look at Laurent again, a bit more on the hostile side, which slightly jars Laurent considering he was at least greeted with an effort to be warm a few moments ago.

 

Well. That would be the effect of Laurent’s social attitude. It never fails to make enemies out of inconsequential people.

 

 _Don’t be like that_ , Nicaise chides. _You’re a pleasure to be around when you aren’t a bitch._

 

That didn’t make him feel better.

 

“Anyway,” the man continues, glare still fixed to his face, “If you didn’t already know, Damen’s been looking for you all night. Which is also why I know you just came,” another sigh. “I’ve been his eyes while he’s been managing the lights and music.”

“What sacrifice,” Laurent says cooly, not a single iota of sympathy in his voice. He brushes some dust off his sleeve and crosses his arms, making a point to look as detached as he could. “I’m sure you’d enjoyed grinding up into the next pretty creature while absently looking for a blond head.”

“Jesus,” the man says, dragging his whole hand down his face. “You know what? I’m not handling this right now. Prim blond snakes certainly aren’t _my_ type, anyway. If you want to make out with my friend, or whatever, he’s up at the tech booth.” He walks backwards, away from Laurent, and is promptly swallowed by the mass of dancing bodies.

 

At this, Nicaise reacts, and Laurent can feel more than see him mockingly tutting him. _What_ , Laurent thinks. _Bitching can be a defense mechanism. And his dislike certainly wasn’t helping his case._

 _This is why I’m your only friend, dick hunter._ Nicaise projects back, sounding positively delighted.

Laurent grimaces, but holds his ground.

 

The tech booth was a relatively large box-like structure sticking out from a corner of the theater’s ceiling, with glass windows at the front large enough that you’d be able to see who was operating inside. Damen was seen through the glass, wearing one of those large headphones with mics attached to them, maneuvering himself around the area as he was operating both the lights and the music.

He approaches the stairs leading up to the tech booth, _the metal spiral type, oddly enough_ , and takes one more look at the scene in front of him, where Damen’s friend had stood.

He honestly didn’t really want to offend Damen’s friend. He usually knows himself to be excellent at faking amicability, but genuine social effort was a real challenge. Laurent just knew he wasn’t really the loveable type, as making friends was never really his strong suit, and he braced himself with his metaphorical thorns, knowing he’d be rejected. He tells himself he doesn’t really care, _it’s simply collateral damage_.

 

God only knows why Damen’s minorly infatuated with him, considering he’d treated him the same way on their first encounter.

 

 **_UGH_ **. This is why he hates parties.

 

He takes a deep breath as he ascends, anxious.

  


 

* * *

 

  


When Laurent opens the heavy door with an audible creak, he’s immediately enveloped by a cold gust of wind. He sees Damen turn to face him, spinning from the wheeled ergonomic type chair.

“Nik, you’re gonna have to switch with me-” he starts, and abruptly stops as his eyes widen when they meet Laurent’s, speechless.

Laurent’s mouth upturns a bit at the side as he strides fully into the room. He feels the way Damen’s heart is in his throat as he takes the other unoccupied ergonomic chair.

 

He knew he’d have trouble composing himself with Damen around, but knowing what he’s capable of now and bracing himself for it feels much easier now that he isn’t caught by surprise. It wouldn’t be hard to differentiate Damen’s outpouring feelings from his own now that he’s got a cool head.

 

He turns towards Damen, fixing him a calculating gaze, and Damen visibly swallows.

 

“So… are you enjoying the party?”

“Oh, not quite,” Laurent says nonchalantly. “I’m not really fond of drunk idiots trying to cop a feel, nor rude friends of yours that hold an unexplained animosity for me.”

“Ah,” Damen says, looking sheepish as he chuckles and scratches his nape. “Nik is very protective of me sometimes, and I’ve got a history, so he’s hostile towards anyone I’m openly interested in that he doesn’t immediately approve of.”

 

There are many things Laurent takes note of from that statement, but he chooses the most interesting one to throw back at Damen.

 

“Hmmm… And I suppose that means you’re interested in me, then.”

 

Damen’s eyes go wide, color dusting his cheeks, and Laurent wills his own face to stay pale.

“AH, I’m… Yes,” Damen says, with more embarrassed laughter, and Laurent observes his every move. He then looks straight into Laurent’s eyes,  smiling, but there is a bit of seriousness that tinges it. “That is how I feel, but please don’t think I’ll impose my feelings onto you. You don’t have to worry about that.” His smile softens at the corners, and Laurent almost believes him.

 

_He’s too late for that though, considering he’s practically drowning you in them._

 

“Right, and I suppose the hasty invitation earlier by the park was a friendly suggestion, and not an invitation to make out with you in this awfully cold elevated room?”

Damen laughs. “Completely friendly suggestion. There isn’t anything hot and heavy in this place, as you can see.”

 

Laurent smirks at that. He’s not just a perfect body, it seems.

 

But Laurent is only willingly here because he’s a seasoned demon hunter, and he’s here to make Damen _squirm_. Into action, anyway.

 

“Oh I beg to differ,” Laurent says, gliding his chair a bit closer into Damen’s orbit, where the controls for the lights are. This whole time he’s been subconsciously flicking switches and pushing and pulling levers to the beat of the music. “You do look quite attractive by the controls.” Laurent could speak a little truth now and then.

 

Unexpectedly though, Damen full-on laughs.

 

“You,” Damen says between chuckles, “you wouldn’t say this was sexy… if you’ve been doing this all night!”

Laurent is caught off guard by Damen’s reaction, and almost felt the need to burst out in laughter himself. Instead, he pouts childishly. He will not be bested by a half demon. “I suppose…”

“Would you like to try?” Damen says, still laughing, and Laurent’s eyes narrow at him, but they hold no real heat. He sidles into Damen’s side as Damen relinquishes control to him, pointing out the controls.

 

He walks Laurent through it, and absently Laurent thinks that he still hasn’t really made him do anything using his charm, not even once.

 

“-And this is the button that activates the strobe lights. But don’t turn that on unless it feels appropriate to the song.”

“How would you know if it was appropriate to the song?”

“I guess if it feels right? I mean it’s better if you knew the songs playing.”

 

Laurent’s eyebrow quirks up at that.

 

“So I take it that you do?”

Damen looks at him, slightly confused. “...Yeah?”

Laurent smiles wickedly, and somehow, Damen could tell where this was going.

 

“Just to confirm, this is _your_ playlist.”

“Wait, _Laurent-_ ”

“I never thought I’d be able to know more about you in such an unconventional manner. Who knew your taste in music included Taylor Swift?”

 

Damen groans into his hands, kicking his chair out to the middle of the room, sending it spinning as Laurent laughs unabashedly. They stay like that for a solid 3 minutes, with Laurent mock-wheedling Damen with other terrible pop song choices and Damen continuously groaning, swatting away Laurent’s hands trying to poke his shoulder.

 

Laurent’s never really experienced being this chummy with someone he barely knew, and a half-demon at that, but it felt good to let loose with someone comfortable with his presence. And someone being comfortable in his presence was a rare thing, so he chose to savour this moment, even if he knew what he was really here for.

 

“Alright then, if you think you’ve got the right to judge me for the music I play, what do _you_ listen to?”

 

And somehow, Laurent slowly, shallowly, opens up.

  
  


 

They end up talking about everything and nothing at the same time, laughing at the smallest things and teasing each other without bite. They talk while managing the lights, and Laurent fails terribly at the controls, Damen claims, but Laurent replies that the kids down there would be too drunk to care. Laurent also sneaks in pushing on the strobe light button out of time with the music, and Damen constantly has to swat his hands, both of them laughing.

It just feels so easy, being with Damen. He doesn’t even stop Damen’s own bubbling of laughter from influencing his own.

 

After a lull in the conversation, Laurent sobers. He suddenly remembers what he came here to do, and he swallows thickly. Damen had probably sensed the tension coming from him, because the air suddenly goes stale.

 

Coercing Damen into making a move on him certainly didn’t work, but maybe Laurent could get results by initiating himself.

 

 _This is it_ , Laurent thinks, before looking Damen in the eyes. Damen looks as uncertain as he feels, and Laurent strengthens his resolve, cupping his hand onto Damen’s cheek. He lets his hand linger there, hoping Damen takes the bait.

 

He doesn’t.

 

“Laurent,” he says, eyes suddenly serious, and takes the hand at his cheek to hold and stroke in his own.

 

The gesture is so gentle, Laurent snaps in frustration. He yanks his hand from Damen’s soft grasp, and puts both of his hands at the sides of Damen’s face this time pulling him in for a searing kiss.

 

Laurent is… not very experienced in these matters.

 

He smushes his lips directly onto Damen’s, hoping the other would eventually take charge. Thankfully, he does, but not in the way Laurent expects.

Probably sensing Laurent at a loss for what to do, Damen holds one hand by Laurent’s nape and the other by his hip gently, and he takes control of the kiss, shallowly drawing back and dipping in.

He doesn’t use his tongue, as Laurent would have expected from a sex demon, It’s not the kind of kiss that would lead to sex. It’s not a kiss that leads to anything. It’s so tender and unexpectant that Laurent melts against Damen, slowly losing his mind.

 

That is, until Damen unconsciously slips his thumbs into Laurent’s sweater, by the skin of his hips.

 

Laurent jumps away immediately at the touch, and Damen’s face crumbles into one of horror.

 

Laurent was mostly shocked at the touch of skin against skin, truth be told, having been completely distracted by Damen's heady emotions to think of anything unpleasant, but the look on Damen’s face was as though he’d burned Laurent.

“Oh my god,” Damen starts, holding his head in his hands. “Oh my god I’m so sorry.”

“Damen, no it’s fine-”

“No! Laurent you don’t… understand. That wasn’t you, it was all me. I’m so sorry. We… I can’t go on like this. You’ll regret it once you’ve come to your senses.”

“What?”

“You should.. You… It’d probably be best for you if you’d go.”

 

Laurent nods, still confused, and walks slowly to the exit. He looks back at Damen from his shoulder one more time, and sees him curling into himself.

 

 _No, it’s my fault_ , he doesn’t say.

 

He shuts the door, and is once again greeted by the blaring stage lights and the terrible music.

 

 _Well that was certainly strange_ , Nicaise says, finally making himself known.

  
“Strange,” Laurent repeats, out loud.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! this took relatively long to get back to since I've been stressing about schoolwork recently, so i'm sorry its taken me a bit longer than last time.
> 
> Because of that, i realized i should probably set like a fixed update day every week, but i know i won't be able to stay fully faithful to it. Just know that i'll probably update once a week, around fridays or saturdays!
> 
> Anyways, I was stressing about writing this chapter as well, because I've always had a problem with writing kissing scenes. Like, i don't know, I feel like i write them so impersonally?? I hope i'd written it nicely this time, at least, since this kiss between Laurent and Damen is supposed to be like, their establishing kiss scene lmao
> 
> And i probably should note that from here, i'll be working to thicken the plot even further, so expect Auguste, The Regent, and Kastor in the next chapter ;^DDDD
> 
> Thank you so so much reading and for your nice comments!! I hold every single one close to my heart. I'm so glad people are enjoying this story of mine <3


	4. Surprise Visit pt. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> you get a lot more introspective when you're in a hospital, sometimes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is so overdue you guys

The hospital is usually stuffy and uncomfortable already without Auguste voicing his assumptions of the most preposterous things of Laurent, but he’s always known his older brother to be an all-or-nothing kind of guy, so really this brand of pestering was mostly expected the moment Laurent had voiced his…  _ specific _ complaints about his new target.

 

“Auguste.”

 

“Well, I mean, this is the first time you’re coming up to me about a-”

 

“ _ Auguste. _ ”

 

“-guy from college, so naturally I’d assume this-”

 

“ _ AUGUSTE STOP. _ ”

 

Laurent dashes to cover his brother’s mouth with his free hand, but it doesn’t block out the mirth in his eyes. Even barely mobile on a hospital bed, Auguste is a formidable enemy.

 

He feels a disgusting wetness stroking his palm and withdraws it from anywhere near Auguste immediately, wiping his hand on the clean white bed sheets and throws his brother a look of distaste. Auguste grins.

 

“So, what’s his name?”

 

Laurent sighs, long suffering, and sits down once more onto the metal chair adjacent to the bed. Beside him, the tubes connecting Auguste’s arm to the plastic packet are hanging off the IV stand.

 

“We’re referring to the subject as just  _ The Target _ for now, since I’d rather look at this mission as something impersonal rather than-”

 

“Your first crush?”

 

Laurent narrows his eyes dangerously, but the threat is lost on him.

 

“Stop interrupting me. This is serious, Auguste.”

 

“Alright, alright,” His brother says, raising both his hands in a gesture of surrender. “I don’t see why you need my input this time, Lau. You’ve stated about a number of times how supposedly amateur this mission was, and from what I’ve heard, your target is anything  _ but _ a threat.”

 

Auguste turns in his bed to face his brother, a more serious expression on his face. “He’s clearly holding himself back, and that’s indication enough that you stick to protocol and let him off with a warning, flash the memory stick in his eyes, and leave it at that. We don’t kill unnecessarily, you know.”

 

Laurent sighs again, resigned. 

 

“I know that, it’s. It’s just.”

 

Auguste’s smile returns slowly, and Laurent inwardly curses his fleeting moment of being at a loss for words.

 

“It’s just~?” Auguste says, intoning his inquiry with too much drama, extending the last syllable.

 

“He- _ The target _ , is different from what I’d expected, or what his file had informed me.”

 

“You mean about him being a decent respectable hot guy despite being a half sex demon?”

 

Laurent levels a flat glare at his brother. “Not different in that sense. Meaning that his file didn’t detail  _ everything _ about him.”

 

Auguste raises an eyebrow. “Isn’t that why you’re going undercover?”

 

“I mean, he’s not just half-demon.”

 

Auguste stops at that, and his expression shutters into one of confusion. “What do you mean?”

 

Laurent stands up again from the visitor’s chair to pace around the hospital room, his arms crossed. Auguste watches him walk around, his attentions more alert now that Laurent has brought something more serious to the table.

 

“Normally I’d be thrilled that I wasn’t just put to this mission due to being underestimated after all this time, or being subtly insulted by being given such a entry level assignment, but it’s strange, isn’t it?

 

“Cases like half demon offspring are usually handed to the newer recruits because it’s pretty easy, all the information about their targets is there, and their undercover work doesn’t have to be so…  _ involved _ , as my job right now requires me to do. I’d thought Jord had made a mistake, not informing me that Damen- _ the target _ , is more than just a halfling evaluation mission, but Jord doesn’t misstep like that. You’d made sure of that.”

 

Auguste’s smile is fleeting, but fond. “If there’s one guy in Vere you could truly trust to be without malicious content, it would be Jord.”

 

“No, that’d be you,” Laurent says while continuing to pace. “Although I wouldn’t say I completely disagree with that statement. Jord is an honorable and hardworking employee.”

 

“Alright, so what makes your demon boy mission special?”

 

Laurent moves to stand directly in front of Auguste’s bed. He steels his face, making sure Auguste knows he’s beyond serious.

 

“He’s part magical human, Auguste. And not just any kind. An empath.”

 

Auguste’s eyes widen. “Christ.”

 

“Exactly.”

 

Auguste shifts in his bed, leaning on his arm connected to the IV needle. Laurent runs to his side to gingerly rearrange the tubes Auguste had disrupted with his careless movements, flashing him another annoyed glare. His brother doesn’t really seem to notice.

 

“I didn’t know there were magical humans around anymore besides us and IOS. That must be why Uncle had assigned the mission to you… or at least, that’s what it looks like.”

 

“Yes, I did come to that conclusion, but something doesn’t feel right about that either.”

 

Auguste’s eyebrows furrow and he opens his mouth to object, but Laurent quickly puts a hand to his lips once more. This time, Auguste doesn’t lick it off, more confused than anything else.

 

“Ok, no, listen. Uncle had given me the mission, but made it seem like it was an assignment out of the ordinary. At first, I really did think he was underestimating me again, even after all I’ve done since you were out of commission,  _ pardon me _ , but if Jord hadn’t intentionally left out such important information, that must mean even  _ he _ didn’t know this was bigger than it should be. And it couldn’t possibly mean Uncle is acknowledging me after all, because when did he ever make it seem like so?”

 

Auguste doesn’t answer. Laurent takes a deep breath, and continues.

 

“Uncle would only ever be kind to me if he needed something from me, and he’s only ever approached me with anything resembling kindness when I had yet to go through puberty, if you know what I mean. So you see why I don’t trust that it’s simply just giving me a better job.”

 

Suddenly, Auguste rips Laurent’s hand from his mouth, expression downright murderous. Laurent almost feels guilty for bringing up any implication of that time to Auguste again, but it seemed as though his brother had forgotten his Uncle was capable of such evils, and the only way to progress further in their discussion to resolve their big question mark was to remind him.

 

“Laurent, if he’s ever  _ touched you again _ -”

 

Laurent sighs. “That’s what I’m saying. He  _ won’t _ touch me. He won’t  _ want _ to. That’s why I know this mission isn’t a subtle way to praise me, or whatever. He doesn’t need me for that.”

 

His brother seemed a bit placated at that, but his expression only softens a bit, his eyebrows not quite smoothing down from looking angry. It’s endearing how expressive and lively his brother is, even while on a sick bed. Sometimes Laurent himself forgets Auguste is even sick at all, if not for the tubes at his arm and the pristine white coloring of everything that surrounds them.

 

Auguste lowers Laurent’s arm, but doesn’t let go. Instead, he shifts so that his hand is gripping Laurent’s, placing his other hand on top.

 

“What is it that you think he wants, then?”

 

There was a great deal of possible reasons why Laurent was assigned Damen, and he’d carefully considered them prior to his visit.

 

There was the fact that Laurent was always being underestimated despite climbing the ranks due to his determination to avenge Auguste; there was Laurent’s renowned hatred for demons and demon kind, due to a demonic curse being what kept Auguste increasingly frail and sickly despite whatever treatments were being administered; there was Laurent’s general aversion to sex, sex demons, and demons with manipulative powers, due to… quite obvious reasons.

 

Auguste clears his throat, dispelling the silence for a bit, and throws Laurent a small but fond and genuine smile, probably to reassure him. “Well, whatever he wants, it’s not like you’ve been the obedient nephew for a while now, so he isn’t gonna have a good time, I’m sure.”

 

And yes, then there was Laurent’s penchant for deliberately doing exactly what his Uncle tells him  _ not _ to do, as long as he still executes missions successfully.

 

_ Nephew _ , a note said at the bottom of Damianos’ profile papers,  _ try not to shed blood irresponsibly, will you? _

 

Laurent’s eyes widen, and suddenly he fits a piece of the puzzle.

  
  


“No, he definitely isn’t,” Laurent finally says, “because what he wants is for Damianos to be dead, and I’m not going to give that to him.”

 

 

* * *

  
  


He pulls out his private phone only after he’s left the hospital building, opting to hide away at a secluded diner he’d found a few blocks downtown, away from his uncle’s possible eyes and ears. Laurent has a select few reliable employees connected to his private line, and he runs through a few names: Paschal, Vannes, Lazar, and Orlant, before he finds Jord’s.

 

The line rings for about 5 seconds before Jord picks up, and Laurent lets out a breath he didn’t know he even held back.

 

“Laurent,” Jord says, although his voice is restrained and breathy, like he’s trying to hide from something. Laurent inwardly curses.

 

“Where are you? Are you okay?”

 

“Yes I’m fine. In the bathroom. Govart’s running a check on everyone’s workspaces. I’d rather he doesn’t find out you’re hiding things from the Regent.”

 

“Did you find more about Damianos like I asked?”

 

“Yes, although I have the papers with me right now. I’m not supposed to have these, Laurent. If I’d left them at my desk, Govart would drag me straight to your uncle and have me branded a traitor!”

 

Laurent bit his lip. “I’m so, so sorry Jord. I swear I’m getting to the bottom of this. I’ll send you the location of our meeting place, and we’ll talk there.”

 

“Alright. But if what you’re thinking is right-”

 

“-and it is, trust me.”

 

Jord sighs, resigned. “If it’s right, we have much more of a problem than an unusually powerful halfling.”

 

“Knowing my uncle, it’s obviously never that simple.”

 

Jord hangs up first, and Laurent takes the glass of mineral water offered to him, downing it in one gulp.

 

 

* * *

 

“So I can tell that you’re frazzled,” Nicaise says out loud, once they’re back at Laurent’s room. Laurent drops himself artlessly onto his bed, stroking the bedsheets as he stretches out his limbs. “If I have to even utter the word ‘uncle’ again today it’ll be the last word I draw from my mouth ever again.”

 

Nicaise floats over his pitiful sprawl with an indifferent expression. “Somebody’s at a loss.”

 

Laurent narrows his eyes at him. “ _ Somebody’s _ not telling me something.”

 

Nicaise rolls his eyes, but Laurent sees him cross his arms at the same time, and he can tell Nicaise is definitely hiding something, from the subtle way he grips his arms. “You don’t need me to tell you anything, you’ve got Jord coming to you to deliver the best of it anyways, and it’s not like you haven’t thought of it already.”

 

As if on cue, there’s a knock at his door, and Laurent gets up on his feet with a jolt, running to usher Jord inside.

 

The visitor, however, isn’t Jord.

 

“Ah… Hi,” Damen says, awkwardly waving a hand at him, his other hand occupied, holding a bouquet of blue roses.

 

Laurent doesn’t even have the presence of mind to school his features, face open with shock and confusion.

 

“...Hi.” He echoes back.  _ Clever comeback, Laurent. _

 

Damen shifts to look inside his room. “Um. Can… can I come in-”

 

“-NO!” Laurent yells, immediately moving his body to block anything past his door. “NO, Um, yeah… uh, please. Please wait.”

 

“No, ah, it’s okay,” Damen says before Laurent slams the door at his face, gripping the side of the wooden door. “I’ve been waiting all day to apologize to you properly, and I… yeah.”

 

Damen’s shame is practically tangible in the air, and Laurent fights the urge to pull his sweater over his own head and wrap himself tightly with his arms. “You… want to apologize.”

 

“Yeah, yes. I do.”

 

Laurent lets out a little bewildered laugh at that, but no one would be able to tell his hands were minutely shaking.  _ Or maybe Damen knew, since he’s an empath after all. _ Laurent internally slaps himself.

 

“You mean to tell me I was  _ that _ bad at kissing?”

 

Laurent had made to make it sound like a joke, but he feels the twinge of… something, coming from Damen. It’s not a nice feeling.

 

“No,  _ no _ it’s not that, it was,  _ you were _ , perfect and… ugh I’m…  _ god  _ I should have done that right, with you.”

 

Honestly, Laurent is too tired, his nerves frayed monumentally, to deal with the confusing emotions Damen’s inflicting on him. It’s simply too much. What did he want? What did he wish he’d done right? Did he wish he’d gone all the way there in that cold tech booth? Did he wish he’d never kissed Laurent at all?

 

Good  _ grief _ this was a mess.

 

“...What.” Laurent settles to convey instead.

 

Damen scratches the back of his head. “I mean, I know,  _ you  _ know I kind of maybe really like you, and I shouldn’t have, I don’t know, pushed you in that moment to kiss me, because we’ve only met a few days ago and  _ really _ , I should have done you right I should have  _ asked _ first I should have maybe asked you out and-”

 

“Okay wait, wait,” Laurent holds out his hands, one of them reaching out to cover his mouth, as he’d done to Auguste earlier that day. The other was held up in a gesture to get Damen to  _ stop rambling _ . This really was too much for Laurent’s sensibilities to handle.

 

“You know I started the kiss, right?”

 

“Um, well. I definitely am responsible for it, I’ll just say that.”

 

Well. It’s not like he didn’t make that clear when Laurent left him that night. God knows why.

 

Laurent leans on the side of his doorway, hand on his hip. “You mean to imply that you’re too irresistible, and that’s why it’s your fault?” Laurent says, teasing.

 

“Y...es.” Damen says, sheepish.

 

_ Is he even hiding the fact he’s got an inhuman sixth sense??? He’s ridiculously honest. _

 

“Oh. So… the roses?”

 

As if suddenly remembering he’d had them at all, Damen’s eyes widen as he holds the bouquet up hastily to Laurent, shaking off some petals from the bunch. It would have been an endearing sight had Laurent not been so completely and utterly baffled.

 

“They’re for you! I mean, um,” Damen’s face is certainly red now, and if it was difficult to see due to his dark skin, he could definitely  _ feel _ Damen’s embarrassing affection. “I just wanted you to know that the kiss wasn’t just a  _ nothing  _ thing to me, and if you were okay with it, I’d really want to ask you out properly this time. If that’s okay. _ God i usually don’t suck like this,”  _ he says the last bit under his breath.

 

Laurent is rarely at a loss for words, he  _ swears _ he rarely is, and for him to completely lose composure in front of anyone could even be considered  _ mythical. _

 

It seems Damen didn’t get the memo, because Laurent is figuratively tying himself in knots trying to parse… whatever this is.

 

Laurent stays silently in thought for probably a tad bit too long, because Damen’s anxiety-riddled state probably interpreted it as rejection, and he resumes rambling. “I MEAN, you really don’t have to if you don’t want to okay I  _ mean that _ , and you can just maybe take these flowers as my apology and I’ll never come to you ever agai-”

 

“Okay,” Laurent says, mind blank and completely on impulse, for once.

 

“Okay?”

 

It’s unfair how Damen looks and  _ feels _ hopeful. Laurent couldn’t possibly turn that down. Only an absolute monster could. With his symmetrical face and his soft bright eyes, you’d think you were turning down an  _ angel _ .

 

Laurent resolves to never take missions involving cambions again. Not even if his blood and Nicaise are supposed to be enough deterrent. He can’t trust that anymore.

 

“One date,” Laurent says, sighing. “One date, but as friends, for now.”

 

“For now,” Damen echoes.

 

Laurent takes the bouquet from Damen’s hand and in an extended moment of impulsivity pats his cheek pertly, subtly getting a feel of Damen’s high cheekbones while he does.

 

“Don’t get too cocky, big boy.”

 

He then steps back into his room, and shuts the door at Damen’s awestruck face.

 

Dropping back onto his bed face-first, Laurent yells into one of his pillows. Nicaise goes back to floating above him, unimpressed.

 

“Well that went well,” Nicaise says, and Laurent flips him off, face still smushed into the pillow’s expensive foam. A few moments later, he hears a knock at his door again, and Laurent, exasperated, thinks that Damianos’ fine features will not save him this time.

 

“Damen-” Laurent starts as he stomps his way to the door like a tantrum-throwing child, only to see the person he’s actually been waiting for look at him with an inquiring expression.

 

Jord clears his throat as he runs a fidgeting hand through his short hair. 

 

“So… the big guy at your door with the flowers was your target?”

 

Laurent looks at him blankly. “You should know that by now.”

 

He grabs Jord’s arm  and ushers him inside, Jord moves hastily to close the door behind him. “Yeah, I guess. He’s certainly a… strange sex demon, isn’t he?”

 

_ Absolutely. _

 

“Yes, I suppose he is.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as previously stated, this is seriously overdue oh my god;;; trust me to break off schedule exactly after an update stating i'd _have_ a schedule lmao. school has been beating my ass so hard it's really difficult to have much motivation to do anything else but sleep ;;;
> 
> also i did say in the last chapter that the real shit goes down and the regent shows up, but i needed a bit of a transition part and HEY AUGUSTE THE BIG BRO™ SHOWS UP SO I KINDA DELIVERED
> 
> i kinda feel like im starting to have a pattern for the chapters in this story haHAAAA well i can tell you most of it is on purpose, at least until the action scenes come up lmao,,
> 
> ALSO i should give u guys a bit of something to look forward to for the next chapter, which im working on atm and i SWEAR i'll be uploading within this week!!
> 
> there will be ANGST!! and the regent but like lol who's genuinely looking for him?? not me
> 
> and there's a surprise ship i did not see coming like?? i didn't anticipate putting them there... but There They Are
> 
> i hope u guys will forgive me for this short chapter once the longer part 2 of this comes up, and thank you so much to those who've left comments and/or kudos!! my heart is crying


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